Boeing to modify landing gear on later 787-8s

Boeing is to incorporate a redesign to the landing gear on later production 787-8s to speed gate turnaround operations by improving the thermal performance of part of the braking system.

As Boeing announces it has cleared all 787 equipment for first flight, it has emerged that early 787s will be constrained in some quick turnaround operations if the gate arrival follows a high-energy landing that raises the brake temperature past a certain threshold.

Boeing emphasises that the issue lies not with the brakes themselves, but the remote data concentrator (RDC) units on the four 787 main landing gear axles. Continue reading…